


Dragon Season: Promise

by Akiko_Natsuko



Series: Dragon Season [5]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Battle, Bittersweet Ending, Character Death, Death, Dysfunctional Family, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Future Fic, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Love, M/M, Magic, Sacrifice, Soul Bond, Suicide Sort of, Team as Family, Terminal Illnesses, Unrequited Love, new generation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-08-17 06:55:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16511444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiko_Natsuko/pseuds/Akiko_Natsuko
Summary: 'Dragons and their children only have one mate in their life, and if the chosen mate rejects them then they will spend their entire life alone.' Years before a sacrifice was given and a promise made, but with time some promises are meant to be broken especially when words are left unspoken.





	Dragon Season: Promise

   Gray grumbled under his breath as he slowly drifted in to awareness, the sound merging into a groan as he stretched and his body protested the movement. He missed the days when he’d been able to sleep anywhere and everywhere without suffering the consequences, and the days when he could spring up and go at a moment’s notice…growing old was not fun he concluded as he opened his eyes and stared blankly up at the ceiling for a long moment. The room was fairly bright indicating that he had probably slept longer than he’d planned and he twisted his head to glance at the clock, letting out a soft huff of relief when he realised that it wasn’t too late. Today was too important.

    Stiffly he slipped out of bed, shivering slightly and once again bemoaning the effects of age as he glanced around for his clothes. Whilst his magic remained as strong as ever, his tolerance for the cold had begun to slip several years ago much to his disgust. It didn’t help that Natsu’s house had never had a proper heating system as the Dragon-slayer had never needed one and his warmth had been more than enough to keep things cosy for Happy. Gray had more than once contemplated installing one, but he had felt like doing so would remove yet another bit of Natsu from the house, and he would rather suffer the cold.

“It won’t matter after today,” he muttered to himself as he finally tracked down the clothes he wanted, scooping them up with another muffled groan which morphed into a harsh cough. Covering his mouth with one hand, he had to reach out to grab the edge of the bed with his other, the room spinning for a moment as it felt as though his lungs were trying to force their way out of his body.

    The attack lasted for several minutes, and when he was finally able to pull his hand away, he was unsurprised to find it speckled with blood. Grimacing at the lingering taste in his mouth he wiped his lips, eyes narrowing as the amount of blood on his hand increased before letting out a defeated sigh. The doctors had warned him what was going to happen and he’d accepted it, but it was still difficult to face the reality of the situation…although thankfully he wouldn’t need to for much longer; it had been becoming increasingly difficult to hide it from the others as well, and he was fairly sure that Wendy had some clue as to what was going on and probably Erza as well, even now nothing managed to get past the Requip mage although she tended to be more delicate in her approaches nowadays.

   Cautiously taking a deep breath to steady himself he turned and headed towards the bathroom if he hadn’t needed a shower before he certainly needed one now and hopefully the warm water would help to chase some of the chill out of his bones.

****

    The guild had been a hive of activity since just after dawn with Mira and Erza carefully overseeing the decorations that were being strewn around the guildhall. There were more people than usual around as this day had become something of an annual holiday and everyone tried to avoid taking a job around this time of year, although emergency missions were done as usual hence the current absence of the Raijinshu although they were expected back later that day. There was an excited buzz in the air, although for the older members of the guild that was tempered by old grief and Mira could see that Erza was struggling to keep her smile in place as she chased the children away from the buffet tables that were being set up along the far wall.

“It’s looking good,” Lucy said softly as she came up to join them, a sad smile playing on her lips as she glanced around at the activity. Usually, she would be the one in charge, but she was currently nursing a broken arm and bruised ribs from a job gone awry a few days ago as Wendy hadn’t had the chance to heal her just yet, and Laxus had ordered her to rest until the healer could see to her. Normally she would’ve rebelled against the order but she’d been feeling off for the past few days, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was about to happen, leaving her tense of out of sorts and it was somewhat of a relief not to be having to watch over everything.

“Thank you,” Mira smiled warmly at her before her eyes flickered down to the bandages with more than a hint of concern. “How’s the arm?”

“Sore,” Lucy replied with a grimace as she moved the injured limb. “Wendy said she’d have a look at it before everything kicks off,” she added with more than a hint of relief. She had never been a fan of pain, but it seemed like it was getting harder and harder to deal with nowadays although she felt bad for relying on the Dragon-slayer so much. Especially as Wendy had taken over from Porlysuica when the older healer had passed away, becoming responsible for the entire guild’s healthcare as well as coordinating with the Council’s medical research institute.

“It’s been a while since you’ve been this beaten up,” Erza commented quietly, glancing at the Celestial mage and taking in the bandages and the fading bruises on her cheek and making a sympathetic face.

“Yeah,” Lucy agreed sheepishly, running a hand through her hair in embarrassment and scowling slightly as she realised that the grey was showing through once more…she would kill Laxus for not mentioning that to her. But she dismissed that thought as she sensed their gazes locking in on her, flushing slightly as she admitted. “Forgot that I can’t move quite as freely as I used to…Loke and Laxus both gave me hell for it.” _That’s putting it mildly_ , she thought fighting back a scowl as she recalled the dressing down she had received.

“Where is out illustrious Master this morning?” Erza asked with a frown, deciding it was better to change the topic and realising that there had been no sight of the Lightning mage all morning and knowing that he hadn’t gone with the Raijinshuu this time.

“Paperwork…”

“Again?” Mira demanded with a shake of her head, it seemed that Laxus spent even more time on paperwork for the council than any of their previous Masters, although he was certainly more diligent about doing it than his Grandfather had been.

“Fairy Tail is never going to change in that regard,” Erza smiled fondly as she spoke, remembering how horrified she had been during her temporary tenure as Master before turning back to Lucy as she asked softly. “But he’ll be down later?”

“Of course,” Lucy nodded, the smile that had formed at Erza’s words disappearing as she turned her attention back to the decorations and her eyes were swimming slightly as she added quietly. “They might not have always got on, but he’s never missed the celebrations.”

“Yeah,” Erza agreed sadly.

****

   Gray hesitated for a moment as he stood glancing around the living room, this was the room that he had changed the least since moving in and every time he felt like he was being wrapped up in the warmth of Natsu’s presence. Dark eyes lingered on the wall above the fireplace where Natsu had covered the wall with an array of pictures that Reedus had painted, the pictures ranged in age from their childhood, through their time as teammates and a few from after he had screwed everything up and before Natsu had…

    He was unsurprised to feel tears trickling down his cheeks as he stared at the painting of the party they had thrown for Lisanna’s return, it was one of the last times that Natsu had smiled like that, so free and innocent despite everything that had already happened to them. His heart aching for everything that had been lost. For everything he had tossed away because he had been too afraid to accept the feelings the Dragon-slayer had held for him, until it was too late. Angrily he swiped at his damp cheeks, it had taken him years to accept that he was allowed to mourn for Natsu, but even now it came with lingering guilt. But it was more than that, he didn’t want to spend today lost in that old guilt and grief.

    Still, it took him a few more minutes before he was able to tear his gaze away from the image, not that he really needed to see it. Every moment spent with Natsu…every smile…every argument… every second was ingrained in his memory. Finally forcing himself to move he turned and retrieved the scarf lying neatly folded in the middle of the coffee-table, his fingers trembling for a moment as he caressed the aged material before scooping it up and pressing his nose against it. Even after all these years, it smelled of Natsu - of open campfires and cinnamon and part of him knew that it was probably fancy on his part, but at least for a moment, it felt as though Natsu was right there with him. Forcing himself to pull it away, he carefully arranged it around his neck, closing his eyes as he was _assaulted by the memory of the moment Natsu have given to him:_

_“Keep it…” Natsu whispered weakly, pushing the scarf towards Gray who reluctantly scooped it up, trying not to focus on the crimson now marring the white material. “It’s p-probably the only thing I have to leave you.”_

_“Natsu…” Gray shuddered slightly, his fingers tightening around the scarf even as he silently pleaded for Natsu not to stay stuff like that. He desperately wanted to scream and shout that the Dragon-slayer would be fine and that this act of giving him the scarf was a waste of time, but he couldn’t force the words past the pain welling up his chest._

_“P-please,” the Dragon-slayer pleaded, and Gray swallowed hard as he met watery olive eyes, seeing the desperation beneath the pain and he found himself unable to deny that pleading look, instead nodding silently as he pressed the scarf against his chest. He tried a weak attempt at a smile, although he was fairly sure that it came out more like a grimace as he added._

_“I-If I ever find Igneel, I’ll return it to him_.”

   He stumbled back as he forced the memory back, knowing that if he allowed himself to become lost in memories of the past, then he wouldn’t be able to go through with his plans. For a moment his hands tightened against the scarf before he lowered them, his gaze shifting to the letter that he had left on the table top and he bit his lower lip as he stared at it. It wasn’t a lot. He hadn’t apologised for what he was going to do, nor was there much of explanation. Not that one was really necessary as he knew that that his nakama would understand, that many of them had been anticipating this moment for nearly sixty years. Still, there was a vague sense of wrongness as he stared at the plain white envelope, but there were no words to explain everything churning in his chest, and if he tried to explain it in person they would never let him go.

   Eventually, he forced himself to turn away, there was nothing more that he could do without risking his plans, he just hoped that the others wouldn’t hate him for it later. His hands brushed the scarf once more, drawing comfort and strength from the familiar material and there was fresh strength in his movements as he headed towards the door without glancing back.

_Farewell._

****

   Laxus sighed as he scribbled his signature at the bottom of yet another complaint from the council, rubbing his head as he glanced at the considerable pile still waiting for him to go through. Part of him wishing that he could just go downstairs and bang everyone’s heads together until they learnt not to destroy everything when they were on jobs…not that it would help. His generation had never learnt, despite the number of times that the Old man had used his fist on them, and he doubted that was going to change anytime soon. And honestly, he wasn’t sure what he would do if it ever did change. Although the lack of paperwork would be nice, he thought with another sigh.

   Moving the letter onto the noticeably smaller finished pile, he set aside his pen before allowing his eyes to drift around the office. Very little had changed since Makarov’s time, none of them being able to bring themselves to change it even decades after he had passed on. Finally, though his gaze came to settle on the one thing that was uniquely his, something that he had installed the same day that the guild had voted for him to become the new Master. The far wall of the office was now covered in a gallery of paintings, many done by Reedus although the more recent ones had been done by his successor a young paint-mage that Levy had recruited, and each depicted the people that they had lost over the years. His grandfather had never wanted to dwell on those losses, but Laxus never wanted to forget them. As long as he remembered those he had failed to protect, he could keep going, keep growing stronger.

   Finally, his eyes settled on the painting in the centre of the display, larger than the others to remind them all of what had been sacrificed and what had been saved because of that sacrifice.

“Natsu,” he murmured softly as he studied the painting with sad eyes. There had been so much left unsaid between the pair of them, he had never had the chance to thank Natsu for knocking sense into him back during his attempt to usurp the guild’s leadership. At least they had become friends by that point…even though it was constantly underpinned by rivalry. “You should see the guild now. You gave us this future,” he added, hoping that wherever he was the other Dragon-slayer could hear him, that he could see what Fairy Tail had managed to become since his death.

_Thank you, Natsu for what you gave us and for what you’re continuing to give us even now._

****

   It was the one thing that he missed about living in town - that everything had been within a few minutes’ walk. Instead, it took a good half hour to even get from Natsu’s house to the edge of Magnolia, and that was on a good day when his aching bones and failing body weren’t holding him up. Today was not a good day he realised as he walked slowly down the narrow muddy track that led into the town. Still he couldn’t bring himself to mind the delay too much, as it was giving him much needed time to sort out his thoughts in an environment that wasn’t saturated with memories of the Dragon-slayer. Not that it had ever helped to keep Natsu far from his thoughts for more than a few minutes at a time he thought, a wry twist to his lips.

   There had been days in the first year when he had done everything in his power to drive all thoughts of the Dragon-slayer from his mind, to drive everything from his mind. It had hurt to remember anything back then, and it had taken years for him to be able to accept those memories, to look back at them and feel something under than mind-numbing grief. Even now he was occasionally caught off guard by memories that broke through his walls…walking past a place where they’d fought…getting caught up in a brawl and imagining a brilliant grin and a flash of pink…hearing the youngsters challenging Erza and Laxus to fight. In those moments he found himself frozen, trembling as emotions that he still couldn’t truly handle flooded him and more than once he’d been forced to flee the guild, trying not to force his pain on the others.

****

“No sign of Gray yet?” Lisanna asked as she came up alongside Mira, a tiny silver-hair toddler cradled in her arms, the little girl’s eyes focused on the balloons hovering just over their heads. Mira smiled at the sight before reaching up to free one of the balloons, handing the string to the girl with a flourish and earning a warm smile in return. “Of you go then,” Lisanna said with a laugh as she lowered the toddler to the ground, watching as she ran off on unsteady legs clutching the balloon as though it was the most precious thing in the world.

“Not yet,” Mira replied as she turned back to fix the other balloons, her smile fading slightly as she glanced at her sister before adding softly. “He didn’t spend long in the guild yesterday either.”

“Well…this time of year is always hardest for him,” Lisanna said sadly.

“I know,” Mira stopped what she was doing, reaching out to grasp Lisanna’s hand and squeezing it softly as she took in the grief clouding her sister’s eyes before she sighed and added seriously. “I just can’t help but feel like there was something more to it.”

****

    Gray knew that if he had been anywhere but Magnolia, the sight of an elderly half-dressed man (his shirt having disappeared at some point on the way into town) wandering down the main street would have drawn a lot more intention. However, it was a sight that the poor residents had been forced to endure many times over the year, and it paled in comparison to many of Fairy Tail’s antics over the years and no one batted an eyelid at him – although he guessed that they were probably just relieved that he’d at least managed to keep his trousers on this time. The few murmurs and eyes rolls that he did spot, he ignored with the ease of long practice as his dark eyes rose to fix on the spire of Kardia Cathedral towering over the city.

   He tugged lightly on the scaly scarf draped around his neck, the feel of the material reassuring him and he sighed softly as he gathered himself. It had been nearly an entire year since his last trip to the cathedral he realised with a slightly guilty grimace, normally he visited several times a year, but with everything that had happened…and knowing that this visit was going to be the last he just hadn’t been able to bring himself to go. Still, that just meant that this visit was going to be even more special, and even the weather seemed to have recognised this fact as the sky above his head was a brilliant azure without a single cloud in sight. Natsu’s favourite kind of weather he thought with a soft smile before he continued walking, losing himself in happier memories of times spent out in the sun with the Dragon-slayer…of happier times in general.

“Uncle Gray!” The excited shout jolted him out of his thoughts and he only just managed to resist the urge to slam his hands together, ice skittering across his skin as he glanced up, his alarm disappearing instantly as he spotted the small group of children heading in his direction. Lowering his hands from their almost-ready position he smiled warmly as they approached, every one of them bearing the crest of Fairy Tail with pride.

    Not one of them was bothered in the slightest that he was wandering around wearing nothing but trousers and a scarf as they gathered around them. In fact, he shared a small grin with the similarly dressed blue-haired boy who’d called his name, Leo was the grandson of Lyon and Juvia and had somehow managed to inherit Gray’s stripping habit much to the consternation of both his parents and grandparents. It had even lead to an epic brawl in the guild one day when Lyon had accused him of corrupting the younger generations…conveniently forgetting that he was only marginally better than Gray at keeping his clothes on. Eventually, Juvia had washed them out of the guild, with strict instructions not to come back until they’d calmed down and got some clothes on…needless to say she had won that fight.

“Where are you going?” The youngest of the group demanded bossily, and he had to bite back a laugh as he gazed down at the young red-head. Elsa Fernandes was the mirror image of her grandmother, and it was becoming more and more evident by the day that she had inherited Erza’s temper and somewhat bossy nature as well. Not that Gray minded in the slightest, as it always felt like he was getting a glimpse back into his own childhood when he watched her. Besides, she helped to keep her generation in line.

“I’m going to visit Uncle Natsu,” he replied softly as he gestured in the direction of the cathedral, the passing of the years had removed much of the sting that came with mentioning the Dragonslayer’s name, and he was even able to smile now when he spoke about the other mage.

“I told you that would be what he was doing,” Lyra Dreyar spoke up with a lofty voice from the back of the group, and the other kids grumbled although they didn’t argue. It wasn’t that they had forgotten what the day was, it was hard to given the chaos in the guild when they’d left earlier that day. Plus it was an annual holiday, held to remember the mage that had saved them all although many people in the guild now hadn’t even been alive back then. It was a testament to the Dragon-slayer’s legacy that every kid in the guild, both fourth and fifth generation, referred to him as Uncle Natsu despite having never met him…or sharing any relation with him and it always made Gray smile to him called that. Family had always meant everything to Natsu, and now he had one of the largest families possible even if he would never know them. “Grandma said to remind you that they’re starting just after noon and that she doesn’t want you to be later like last year,” she added as she turned her attention to Gray and the Ice mage let out a soft sigh.

“Can you tell her that I won’t be able to make it this year?” He asked softly, and her face fell immediately, whilst all the other children looked between them in confusion, knowing that he never missed the celebrations for Natsu. “I meant to tell her yesterday, but she was busy helping your Grandfather.”

“Why are you missing it? You’re always there!” Elsa demanded, butting into the conversation, and he could that her question was reflected on all of their faces and he sighed as he ran a hand through his hair in agitation. He had hoped to avoid getting into this, wanting to reduce the risk of his nakama cottoning on to what was happening and trying to stop him, but he could see that the kids weren’t going to leave him alone unless he gave them a proper answer and he scowled as he tried to work out what to say.

“This year is different…it’s…I just want it to be for Natsu and me,” he said finally, and his heart ached at his own words, and he could feel himself struggling to keep his expression relatively neutral. The younger children were clearly not sure what to make of his answer, exchanging confused looks between themselves. However, Lyra was staring at him with a surprisingly mature and understanding expression on her face, and he couldn’t stop the smile that slipped free at the sight of it. She was very much like Lucy and her ability to form bonds and understand people came directly from her grandmother; it was for that reason that when she turned twelve next month, Lucy was going to gift her with her Zodiac keys. The Celestial mage had been slightly disappointed that her own twin boys had both taken after their father in terms of their magic, but then Lyra had come along and at the age of three had managed to make off with Plue’s key and summon the little dog spirit without any instruction. Lucy hadn’t stopped smiling for weeks after that…

“But Nana made your favourite!” Another voice piped up in protest and Gray turned to glance at the dark-haired boy who’d spoken, his gaze drifting to the new piercing in the boy’s ear. It seemed as though he gained a new one every time he saw him, and he couldn’t help but wonder when Levy was going to step in and say enough was enough.

“Some things are more important than food Levi,” Leo scolded the younger boy, and the young Dragon-slayer glowered at his friend already clenching his fist in readiness to lash out in retaliation, and Gray sighed. Clearly, Gajeel was still encouraging his youngest Grandchild to fight out his issues rather than discussing them calmly, and he was about to step in and stop the fight from escalating when Elsa beat him to the punch. Golden light blazing around her for a second as she pulled out her training sword, the wooden sword darting through the air as she clobbered them both over the head in a matter of seconds, the accompanying dark glare stopping them from protesting their rough treatment.

“Enough!”

“Leo’s right some things are more important than food,” Gray said with a trace of amusement in his voice as he gazed down at the sulking boys, easily able to imagine himself and Natsu in that position with Erza towering over them. “Just tell them that this year is for Natsu and me and they’ll understand,” he added as he turned his gaze back to Lyra, the young Celestial mage hesitating for a moment before nodding and then she surprised him by darting forward and wrapping her arms tightly around his midriff.

“I’ll miss you, Uncle Gray,” she whispered fiercely, keeping her voice low so that the other kids wouldn’t be able to hear what she was saying, and he knew that she’d worked out what was going on, and his arms tightened around her, wishing that he could have spared her that knowledge.

“Are you sure that you’re only eleven?” He asked her quietly, pressing a fond kiss into her messy blonde locks before pulling back as she gazed up at him with suddenly stern eyes.

“Nearly twelve,” she reminded him in a choked voice, and he chuckled softly at the retort, that attitude definitely came from her Grandfather he thought as he released her and took a step back so that he could look around at the other kids. He drank in the sight of the future of Fairy Tail. The future of his family. Little Elsa who would no doubt reach S-Class just as quickly as her grandmother had, Leo who was almost a carbon copy of himself despite coming from a completely different family (although the small obsession he had with love definitely came from Juvia!). Levi who a flashback to Gajeel although thankfully Levy and his mother Skye seemed to have calmed some of his fiercer tendencies, little Freya hanging silently at the back and watching everything with wide blue eyes and finally to Lyra who now had unshed tears in her eyes.

“You should head back to the guild the party will be starting soon,” he said finally as he glanced up towards the clock on the face of the cathedral and frowning as he realised that it was getting on towards noon, he had lost more time than he’d intended whilst talking to them, not that he could ever have blown them off. Following his gaze they exchanged alarmed looks, knowing that their parents and grandparents…not to mention their Master…would grill them alive if they were late today of all days.

“Ah! We shouldn’t have left so late,” Leo moaned, and Gray grinned at the boy, knowing from experience just how hard it could be to get the younger Ice mage out of bed at the best of times and he had no doubt that was why they were running late.

“We’ll head back now then,” Lyra said softly and shouting noisy farewells the younger ones took off at a run, waving over their shoulders as they disappeared down the road. However, Lyra hesitated and turned back to look back at him with sad eyes. With a gentle smile, he gestured for her to follow the others, wishing that she could’ve remained oblivious to what was going on and knowing that Lucy would brain him at a later date for upsetting her precious granddaughter. Finally, she nodded and took off after the younger ones, and he could hear her chiding them for being slow as she easily overtook them although Elsa was quick to rise to the future.

“Farewell,” he mumbled as they disappeared out of sight, and he felt a pang of loss at the realisation that he wouldn’t get to see them grow up. Not that he would even if he were to change his plans for today. Still, it was a sobering thought, and he lingered for a few minutes just staring after them.

**

   As Gray continued on his way, he couldn’t stop his thoughts from drifting to the guild and all the changes it had undergone in the sixty years since Natsu had given his life to save them. The first year had been the worst for everyone, the entire guild had been reeling from the loss of their Salamander and the widespread destruction that had been brought down on the town, and for a while the heart and spirt had gone out of them, and there had been some including himself that had believed that it could never be recaptured. Natsu had been their soul, and it had seemed wrong to even contemplate moving on without him…even though that was what he had wanted. Makarov had resigned at the end of that year, only waiting for the Council investigation to come to an end before handing the reins over to Laxus, the Lightning mage having mellowed considerably after the younger Dragon-slayer’s death.

   Gray himself could recall very little of that year, and what he could remember involved little more than sitting huddled up in Natsu’s hammock as tears streaked down his cheek. It had taken months for him to come out of the shock that had settled in after Natsu’s death, and afterwards he had fallen into a dark pit of despair, overwhelmed by his grief…and the guilt that had consumed him for being too late with his confession…the weight of Natsu’s final request only adding to the darkness, although he knew that had never been the Dragon-slayer’s intent.

   It had been part way through the second year after Natsu’s death that he had finally begun to come out of it, although it was always there at the back of his mind. One of the first things he had done upon returning to the guild though had been to resign his position as an S-class mage, despite Laxus and Erza’s best attempts to convince him otherwise…but he knew that his magic was weak, undermined by his grief and he couldn’t envision a future where that would change. But more than that…he wanted to avoid any chance of going into another battle that was serious enough to claim lives, and there was always the risk of that with the harder jobs, and in the end they had capitulated to his wishes, although they had made sure that he knew that he could always reactivate if he wanted to…he never had. At the same time, he had also broken away from the rest of their team, unable to stand their grief and sympathy, but more importantly unable to bear the thought of someone else that close to him potentially choosing to sacrifice themselves for his sake.

   He’d remained close with all his nakama, but he had made it absolutely clear to everyone that he would only work alone from then on…and that he would never even consider looking for another partner. Juvia had cried for weeks when he’d told her gently but grimly to give up on him completely, able to understand her pain better now, and in the end, she had followed his advice and allowed herself to move on. Nearly a year later she had finally allowed Lyon to take her out on a few dates and they’d never looked back, although she and Gray had always remained close friends and he was the Godfather to her three daughters. Lyon had become a member of Fairy Tail when they married, as Juvia refused to even consider leaving the guild that had welcomed her despite her past with Phantom Lord, and the relationship between the two Ice mages had become even more brotherly over the years.

   Gray had moved into Natsu’s house that year. Not wanting to lose more of the Dragon-slayer, and appreciating the privacy, it provided him…people were less willing to come and hound him when he was out that far. Happy had never set foot in the house after his partner had died, unable to bear the thought of being surrounded by all those memories but he had given Gray his blessing before moving in with Carla and Wendy. And slowly life had begun to settle into a new rhythm, peaceful and yet lacking the warmth and energy that had been there before, but gradually the darkness continued to recede although it never faded completely.

   His slow return to life, and the Juvia and Lyon’s wedding at the end of that year seemed to breathe life into the guild as a whole and spark a desire to make the most of the future, aided by the fact that Natsu’s actions had proven to them all that no one was immortal. A mere sixth months after Juvia and Lyon had tied the knot, Fairy Tail had hosted another wedding…this one highly controversial especially with the council , but no one had been able to deny how happy Erza was the day that she finally managed to have her happy ending with Jellal (although the Heavenly Body mage maintained unto this day that she could have found someone better); their marriage had also heralded the start of the next generation as she had come back from their honeymoon to announce that she was pregnant.

   Natsuki Fernandes had been born just in time to attend the official wedding of Gajeel and Levy who had also decided that they wanted their day in the sun, despite their mating meaning that they were practically married anyway. That had been the hardest wedding to attend for Gray although he hadn’t been able to turn down the invitation, and he had got himself quietly drunk during the reception, waking up the next day down by the river in the spot where he and Natsu had spent much of their childhood fighting so that they could avoid Erza’s lectures.

    The next couple of years had seen some of the more surprising weddings, with a triple wedding between the Raijinshu and the Strauss siblings, with Mira guiltily admitting just after they tied the knot that she was already pregnant with her first child (Lisanna had teased her endlessly after that, although she had promptly smacked her husband when he attempted to praise Freed who’d been blushing profusely). Freya Justine had been the first of the next generation of Strauss mages, and to the consternation of her father, she had inherited Mira’s abilities, including the more than revealing take-overs. The following year had seen Lisanna and Bickslow welcome a pair of twin girls, Moa and Minnie who’d both inherited Skeith magic from their father much to his delight.

   Freya had just turned two when the most shocking pair had come out and announced their wedding to the guild. Laxus and Lucy had admitted to managing to keep their relationship under wraps for nearly three years, and both had found the shocked reactions to their news hilarious. Their wedding had been a huge event, although it had been slightly overshadowed by the shock arrival of Erza and Jellal’s second daughter Natsumi who’d arrived a couple of weeks early, right in the middle of the ceremony. In typical Fairy Tail fashion though, the guild had just embarked on several days of celebration to mark both occasions as soon as they were reassured the little girl was doing well…the bill from those days had been enough to send Laxus into a shocked stupor.

    The next five years had seen the fourth generation continue to grow, and the guild had constantly rung with the sound of happy children’s voices. Lucy had given birth to a pair of twin boys, Orion and Sirius who had been the splitting image of their father apart from their eyes which they had inherited from her, and both Laxus and Lucy had mourned the fact that Makarov hadn’t lived long enough to meet his great-grandchildren - Ivan was never mentioned. Levy and Gajeel had a beautiful little girl called Skye, who took after her father’s magic although it was tempered by her mother’s sweet spirit and she shared Levy’s love of books, being the first amongst her friends to learn to read and write and quickly gaining the ability to get through the various rune barriers that Freed had built to keep the unruly youngsters out of places they shouldn’t be much to Gajeel’s delight.

   Lisanna had called it quits with her twins, but Mira had gone on to have two more daughters in those years, Minerva and Nephthys who much to Freed’s dismay had also inherited their mother’s magic rather than his, although he was careful not to mention that around Mira after she had gone after him one day for complaining about Freya’s magic. Elfman and Ever had finally settled down enough to have their first, and going by Ever’s threats during the birth, only daughter Lizzy who thankfully looked nothing like Mira’s earliest imaginings and had inherited Elfman’s magic much to her mother’s annoyance. The last of the fourth generation had been Erza’s third and final child, Simone named in honour if her childhood friend, who had taken after mother in terms of temper and magic although it was tempered slightly by Jellal’s calmer nature.

    Gray couldn’t keep the small smile off his face as he contemplated his family, there had been times when the pain of watching everyone change and move forwards, having what he could never have had hurt more than he’d thought possible and more than once he had taken long term jobs just to get away from it all. To hide from the future that had been stolen from, partly through his own actions and partly through a twist in fate that they could never have expected. But for the most part, seeing what the guild had become and what it was still becoming filled him with contentment that he’d never thought he could feel again after losing Natsu. It helped that he knew the Dragon-slayer would have been just as happy and excited to see the changes that occurred, to see the future that he had protected with his own two hands.

****

   Lucy hissed slightly as Wendy carefully unwound the bandage on her arm, forcing a smile when the younger woman muttered a quiet apology, her fingers never faltering even as she shot the Celestial mage a scolding look as she got a proper look at the injury.

“What were you doing to get in this state?” The Dragon-slayer demanded with narrowed eyes as she began to gather her magic, and for a moment all Lucy could do was stare at her. For a moment she had sounded scarily like Porlysuica, and it brought up the age old desire to avoid doing anything to annoy the aged healer, but then she blinked, and it was just her friend sat there beside her, and she felt herself relaxing.

“I got a little carried away,” She admitted sheepishly.

“At your age?”

“I’m not that old!” Lucy protested loudly, ignoring the amused glance that Erza shot her in passing as the Requip mage headed off to chase some of the younger kids away from the food yet again, and yelping as Wendy carefully urged the injured limb back into the correct position so that she could start healing it. “Ouch.”

“Sorry,” Wendy apologised softly, her magic spreading out and wrapping itself around Lucy’s arm, gradually causing the pain to retreat from the injured limb. “But you’re usually a lot more careful than this, especially since…” She trailed off with a pained expression, and there was a suspicious sparkle in her eyes as she glanced away from the Celestial mage’s knowing look.

“Yeah,” Lucy whispered her own eyes dulling for a moment, her gaze drifting around the guild and taking in the decorations and preparations…it was a day of celebration and mourning, but sometimes it became incredibly hard to remember the first one. Swallowing hard she turned her attention back to the conversation, wanting to push back the memories even if it was only for a little while. “It was my last job.”

“You’re retiring?” Wendy’s magic flickered for a moment as she lost focus, gaping wide-eyed at the Celestial mage before forcing herself to refocus on her work.

“Not completely,” Lucy was quick to reassure her, although her gaze darted up to the second floor as though expecting Laxus to pop up at any moment. Her husband had been trying to convince her to retire properly for the last couple of years, hating it whenever she got hurt although he knew that she could more than take care of herself….the fact that she could send him running when the mood took her, being proof of that. “But you know I’m passing on most of my Zodiac keys to Lyra soon. I wanted to do one last job with all of them, and I let the fight go on a bit too long.” She felt bad for not using her spirits as much as she had when she was younger, although they all assured her that they didn’t mind, and she had wanted to have one last time fighting beside them

all.

“Oh,” Wendy said with a hint of relief in her voice, more disturbed than she cared to admit at the idea of one of her teammates retiring. Although it had been years since they had taken a largescale job to them, family life and other work getting in the way. Then she frowned quizzically as she picked up on what Lucy had said. “Most of them?”

“Virgo and Aquarius have refused,” Lucy replied with a fond smile, her free hand dropping down to her key pouch and there was an answering gold glow from the keys in question, and her smile grew broader. “They said they’ll go to her when I pass away.”

“I’m surprised Loke didn’t try that,” Wendy said with a soft laugh, knowing that the Lion Spirit remained just as devoted and infatuated with her friend as ever, despite several near misses with a jealous Lightning mage.

“Oh he did,” Lucy admitted with a laugh before her expression sobered slightly. “But I wanted him to be there to protect Lyra, and he agreed reluctantly. I’m sure he’ll be popping in for random visits anyway.”

    Wendy hummed softly in agreement before turning her attention fully to her work, sending out tendrils of magic to heal the other minor wounds that she could feel covering the older woman’s body, relishing the sensation of her magic easing away the aches and pains. She had rarely fought after Natsu’s death, instead choosing to focus on the healing part of her magic…she never wanted to be that helpless again…it had been far too late by the time she had reached Natsu that day, but even before if she’d reached him in time there would have been nothing that she could have done. Not even Porlysuica would’ve been able to deal with wounds like that…

“You’re thinking about back then,” Lucy said softly as she caught the faraway look in the Dragon-slayer’s eyes, well aware that she had never truly forgiven herself for what had happened back then, even though there had been nothing that she could do. The Celestial mage suspected that was also part of the reason that Wendy had never found a mate or tried to settle down with anyone, both through miss-placed guilt and fear that she might end up in the same situation as Natsu.

“Yeah.”

“I guess it’s not surprising on a day like today,” Lucy murmured as she glanced around, and Wendy followed her gaze before nodding silently, the memories of the days before Natsu died always pressed closer on this day than any other...

“There,” Wendy said finally a few minutes later, sitting back and letting out a soft sigh as she drew her magic back into herself, a small smile slipping free as she added sternly. “Just be more careful in the future.”

“Thank you. I will be,” Lucy promised warmly as she pulled her sleeve down, relishing in the lack of pain that came with the movement. She really was getting to old for that kind of thing, not that she had any intention of mentioning that around Laxus anytime soon as she knew what he would say, shaking her head fondly she turned back to the Dragon-slayer. “Come on we should help Erza keep the little ones out of the food.” Wendy smiled and nodded, her sadness disappearing for the time being as she helped the older woman rise, both of them speeding up as they heard Erza’s voice rising as her temper began to fray.

****

   Finally reaching the cathedral, he paused briefly and glanced upwards, still able to remember the awe-inspiring sight of Natsu and Laxus duking it out in mid-air and the sheer disbelief he had felt when he’d learnt that Natsu had been the victor. Not that he should have been really. Natsu had always blasted through his limitations and done everything in his power to surprise them, and he felt his lips curving up into a smile at that thought. He lingered for a moment longer before turned and heading for the side gate that leads through into the cemetery, unsurprised to find the Bishop stood there waiting for him. The old man always made it a point to be there on this day to allow him in, having been one of the numerous people that Natsu had protected directly during the battle, and they exchanged brief pleasantries before he was waved on.

    Quietly he headed down the path, inclining his head slightly as he passed the magnificent headstone that marked where Makarov had been laid to rest. The Old man had never recovered from the loss of one of his favourite children, and his health had gone into a rapid decline once he’d stepped down as Master and he’d pass on only a couple of years later, the fight completely gone from him. The next row was also dedicated to their guild, home now to Macao, Wakaba and Gildarts among others - all of them lost to time, but having at least lived long enough to welcome the fourth generation into the guild. The only ones that were missing were Carla and Happy. Eventually, Carla had managed to repair the relationship with her mother and had finally accepted Chagot’s request to take over the throne of New Extalia when her mother chose to retire, and Happy had followed her. He had never been able to feel at ease in the guild after the death of his best friend, and whilst they had visited frequently, it had been clear that his life in New Extalia had helped ease his grief and he had eventually passed away there, leaving behind kittens of his own.

   It was always a strange sensation to realise just how much time had passed since they’d first laid Natsu to rest here, and back then it had seemed inconceivable to the Ice mage that he could live on without the Dragon-slayer, but at some point that final promise had taken hold, and he had managed to live on. Every time they lost someone new though that old ache had returned, and the walk to visit Natsu had always become that much harder. Today though it felt like they were there to greet him, and instead of just moving past he found himself actually halting in front of them, his eyes soft as he let his gaze rove over the gravestones.

****

    The remainder of Natsu’s old team and several others from that generation were gathered in the corner of the guild, watching with amusement and fondness as the rest of the guild began to kick off the yearly festivities. For the older generation, the event was always bittersweet, reminding them of the previous friend that they had lost far too early and whom so many in the guild now had never had the chance to know. It was no accident that their children and grandchildren had been regaled with enough stories to make it seem as though they had, all of them fearing that eventually, Natsu would fade out of memory once they were all gone.

   Lucy laughed quietly as a brawl broke out almost immediately on the far side of the guild, easily summoning up memories of a hot-headed, pink-haired Fire mage that had spent far too much time in a similar position, and she was still smiling when she felt a strong arm wrap around her shoulders. Leaning into the comforting body that had appeared beside her she peered up, meeting Laxus’s gaze with a smile, her amusement growing as she caught the way he twitched as something broke and she could tell that he was barely resisting the urge to yell at them.

“Let them have their fun,” she whispered, unfazed by the scowl he shot at her and after a moment he let out a soft sigh of defeat before nodding in agreement before ducking down to press a quick kiss to her forehead.

“It’s fine…they’ll just have to clean it all up tomorrow,” he grinned slightly as he pulled back, and she shook her head fondly as she caught the evil gleam in his eyes. She knew from experience that he would remember perfectly who the main culprits would be, and she could almost pity them as

there was no way they would be able to wiggle their way out of clean-up. Opening her mouth to tease him she trailed off as the guild doors burst open and the children came darting in, adding to the noise in the guild, and her attention was immediately drawn to a familiar head of gold hair heading in their direction.

“Lyra?” She asked worriedly as her granddaughter darted across to her, frowning as she saw the tears swimming in the girl’s eyes as Lyra wasn’t one to cry especially in public, from the way Laxus’s arm tightened around her his thoughts had taken the same track. “What’s wrong?”

“Uncle Gray,” the girl sniffled before throwing herself at Lucy who swiftly wrapped her arms around her, exchanging an alarmed look with her husband as she felt Lyra beginning to sob in earnest against her. Tactfully Levy quickly chased the rest of Lyra’s group away to find food as they were clearly shocked by her sudden breakdown, and she didn’t want them adding to the chaos that she could sense about to happen. Mira and Lisanna exchanged worried glances before hurrying after her to help, sensing that this was something that Natsu’s teammates needed to deal with, although they couldn’t stop themselves from glancing back in alarm.

“What is it, sweetheart? Did Gray tell you off?” Lucy asked gently, knowing that the Ice mage was occasionally snappish with the kids even when he didn’t mean to be and his emotions were always more on edge at this time of year. Lyra sniffed loudly and urgently shook her head before pulling back and peering up at her Grandparents with red-rimmed eyes, and Lucy gently brushed away a stray tear as she waited patiently for an explanation.

“He’s gone to see Uncle Natsu,” Lyra began at last, and Lucy frowned, that had been a tradition since the first anniversary of Natsu’s death as the Ice mage always wanted or perhaps needed was more accurate, to spend time alone with the Dragon-slayer before he could join the rest of the guild in their celebrations, and she couldn’t imagine how that could have upset the girl. “He said that he couldn’t come to the celebrations this year and that it was a special year just for him and Natsu.”

    For those of Natsu’s generation it felt as though the floor had fallen out from under them as the implication of Gray’s words settled over them, knowing looks passing between them as they easily deciphered the deceptively simple message and Lucy’s arms tightened around her granddaughter as she realised that the girl had also worked out what was going on. Over Lyra’s head she glanced at Erza and Wendy ‘ _What do we do_?’ She mouthed, her instincts yelling at her to run after Gray and stop him from doing what he was planning on doing and yet she couldn’t bring herself to move.

“We can’t stop him,” Erza was the one to finally reply, her face a mask of grief and she held Lucy’s gaze for a long moment before a small sob slipped free and she turned away to bury her face against Jellal’s chest, breaking down into tears as his arms came up to hold her. Beside her, it was clear that Wendy was only just hanging on from joining her, and Juvia had already broken down in tears against an equally stricken looking Lyon. Gajeel sat on the end and whilst he had his usual stoic expression in place, it was clear from the way he was clenching his fists that he was just as affected by the news as the rest of them.

“But why now?” Laxus asked softly, reaching down to gently rub a hand over Lyra’s back as she let out a hiccupping sob, her face now completely buried in the material of Lucy’s top. Lucy glanced up at him, seeing the weariness and grief in his eyes that was completely hidden in his voice and she knew that he was already envisioning adding another picture to his memorial gallery.

“There’s been something wrong for a while,” Wendy whispered softly, flinching slightly as they all turned to look at her and she spread her hands helplessly as she explained quietly. “I think he’s ill…but he wouldn’t come and see me.” It had been rare for him to seek her out for any help after the day Natsu had died, and she had always wondered if a part of him blamed her for not having

got there in time to save the Dragon-slayer… even now, as powerful as she had managed to become she doubted that she would have been able to do anything with wounds like that.

“But…Gray-sama,” Juvia protested weakly. Unsure of what she was arguing against, her heart aching at the thought of losing the Ice mage even though she knew that he had never fully recovered from losing Natsu. “Gray-sama…”

“It’s his choice,” Lyon said softly, and she subsided, although her tears intensified at his next words and had to bury her face against him once more to stifle her sobs. “I’ve always been surprised he stayed this long.” It had shocked him the first time he had seen Gray after Natsu’s death, the younger Ice mage had looked as though a part of him had died as well, and for the first couple of years, he had been waiting for the news to come that Gray had done something stupid. To hear that he had gone to be with the Fire mage that he had so clearly loved.

“Natsu made him promise,” Lucy whispered softly. She had been so relieved when Gray had finally admitted that was why he was holding on, although it had hurt when he had said that was the only reason that he stayed, it had at least reassured her that Gray wasn’t going to disappear on them as well.

“He did?” Lyon asked in surprise, Gray had never told him anything about what had happened that day…beyond the obvious of course. Still, it sounded like something the Dragon-slayer would have done, and he found himself overwhelmed with a fresh surge of gratitude for what Natsu had done for all of them even as he muttered quietly. “Of course, he did…he truly loved that idiot didn’t he?”

“They loved each other,” Erza said softly as she reluctantly pulled away from Jellal slightly, her face damp with tears and it was clear that she was struggling just to speak. “It’s just they never got the time to build on that…” Not one of them had been able to hold onto their previous anger at the Ice mage for rejecting Natsu during his season…it had been painfully clear that he had come to regret that decision and none of them had known what to do in the face of his grief.

“Maybe they will now,” Wendy adding her voice wavering as tears finally began to trickle down her cheeks.

“Maybe,” Lucy echoed before turning her attention back to Lyra, feeling her sobs subsiding slightly as she slumped against her in exhaustion. “It’s alright sweetheart,” she soothed moving one hand up to run through Lyra’s hair.

“Uncle Gray is going to be happy isn’t he?” Lyra asked in a small voice, peeping up at Lucy and after a moment the Celestial mage nodded sadly knowing what the girl meant. Whilst Gray had smiled and laughed and been as much a part of the guild as ever, he had always been sad, and he hadn’t always been able to hide that fact from the rest of them. They had always hoped that something would one day be able to put the light back into his eyes, but so far nothing had ever achieved that and Lucy closed her eyes before replying.

“I think so.”

“Then that’s okay,” Lyra said softly as she pulled back, rubbing at her tear-stained cheeks and red rimmed eyes before turning to look around the group with surprisingly old eyes as she added. “We can go and see them later.”

_We can go and say farewell…_

***

“Hey Flamebrain, it’s been a while hasn’t it?” Gray greeted softly as he came to a halt in front of the isolated grave, his gaze riveted on the likeness of Natsu that had been carved into the headstone, capturing the Dragon-slayer forever in the image of his twenty-five year old self. With a faint tremble in his hand, he reached out and stroked a finger down one stone cheek, as always mesmerised by how much detail they had managed to put into the work. “Look at you…So young,” he swallowed hard as his voice broke, his shoulders shaking as he struggled to steady himself. “You’re lucky you know, not having to deal with white hair and wrinkles and aches in places that shouldn’t exist,” he joked weakly before his voice choked up completely in his throat. As much as he detested old age, every part of him wished that Natsu had lived to share the experience with him.

    Stiffly he settled down onto the ground, groaning as his old bones protested the movement before scooting back to lean against the headstone. For several minutes he just sat there, letting the peace and quiet of the cemetery surround him, his lips quirking as he imagined how much the noisy Dragon-slayer would hate the silence…although when it really mattered the Fire mage could be quieter than the rest of them, something that they had all learnt too late. Eventually, though the silence grew too much for the Ice mage to bear, and reaching out to lay a hand on the stone, he sighed, trying to sort out everything that he wanted to say to Natsu.

“You should see the guild now Natsu, and to think that we thought it was big back then,” he said softly after a long moment, his gaze turning to where he could just make out the top spire of the main guild building, the Fairy Tail flag fluttering proudly above it. They had been able to reclaim their old building after the Grand Magic games, but in more recent years they’d had to expand out into two more buildings linked to the original building. Fairy Hills had, had an extension added to it and about ten years ago Laxus had finally got round to organising a boys only dormitory to cope with their ever growing membership and it was looking like that would need extending soon as well. “Although whether it will survive the current generation of brats…I swear we were never as bad as they were and we were enough to make Gramps lose most of his hair. I have no idea how Laxus has managed to retain a full head of hair with those youngsters.”

   Laxus had proven to be an excellent master, taking what Makarov had taught him along with the passion that Natsu had always poured into protecting Fairy Tail and moved the guild ever forwards. He’d also proven to be more capable of dealing with the politics of the council than his grandfather, which had further eased the tension between the two groups even though it didn’t stop the numerous bills and complaints when their members got carried away on missions. Of course part of that might have been because he had Lucy around to temper his more impulsive behaviours, they had all witnessed her sending Taurus after him on more than one occasion when he had annoyed her.

   Still, that wasn’t what he really needed to say, and he swallowed hard as he dragged his gaze away from the distant guild, turning slightly so he could stare up at the carved form of Natsu. His vision blurred slightly, and he dashed angrily at his eyes to clear the unwanted tears away, he couldn’t afford to fall apart just yet.

“Natsu….” He trailed off hesitantly a lump rising in his throat, and it took a couple of minutes for him to shift it before he could continue. “I’m sorry…I’m going to be breaking my promise to you…”

_Despite the numerous conflicts that they had been involved in, none of them had been remotely prepared for Zeref coming after them directly at home in Magnolia, especially not with Acnologia closely on his tail and they had lost valuable time as they had panicked, those that had faced them before temporarily frozen the terror that accompanied those memories. Of course, Natsu had been the exception. As soon as he realised what was happening, he had been moving, shouting at everyone to get their asses in gear and to protect the town before tearing off to fight the Dragon before they had even managed to shake of their paralysis._

_Gray had wanted to follow him, but he had been caught up in the rescue efforts on the ground, and all he had known of the first battle was the brief glances he got as the sky above them was illuminated with familiar flames and devastating blasts that were threatening to level the town. He had been distracted, constantly trying to keep track of the Dragon-slayer despite his own work and more than once his guild-mates had shoved him out of the way of wayward blasts and falling debris, but their scolding had fallen on deaf ears. How could he focus when Natsu was fighting that monster above them? Fighting for their sakes? For Gray’s sake, even though he had caused the Fire mage nothing but pain._

**

_Eventually, the years of hard work and training that had passed since their last confrontation with the Black Dragon had paid off, everyone on the ground watching in stunned disbelief as the terrifying creature fell from the sky, wreathed in furious flames far hotter than they had witnessed before. Its dying cry had ended before it struck the ground, causing the entire town to rock violently under the impact and an eerie silence had descended in the aftermath. For those that had faced Acnologia years before it was a sight that they never thought they would get to see, whilst everyone else was just relieved to see the beast fall, and after a long moment of silence, celebrations had broken out across the city despite the destruction that had been caused._

_Gray had wanted no part in the celebrations. The moment he had seen Acnologia beginning to fall he had been moving, knowing that there was no way that Natsu could have come through that battle completely unscathed. The devastation that he found surrounding the area where Acnologia had landed had filled him with terror as he couldn’t see how anything could have survived, and yet he was certain that Natsu had to still be alive…surely he would have felt something if the Fire mage had perished?_

_“NATSU?!” He shouted desperately as he cautiously picked his way through the ruined buildings, coming up short as he turned a corner and found himself face to face with Acnologia’s body, shuddering as he stared into dead eyes. For a horrible moment, he wondered if it was possible that the Dragon-slayer had been caught beneath the giant body and he stood frozen before whirling around in a panic, his voice rising as he shouted frantically for the missing mage. “NATSU WHERE ARE YOU? NATSU?”_

_“I’m here…” He had nearly missed the weak whisper, and he had wasted previous minutes searching through the remains of what looked to have once been a warehouse. When he finally found the Dragon-slayer he almost wished that he hadn’t, his eyes burning as he stared down at the battered form sprawled amongst the rubble and it took all of his strength to force himself to take the last few steps to Natsu’s side._

_“Natsu….” He whispered weakly as he dropped heavily to his knees, stretching a trembling hand out towards Natsu although he didn’t quite dare to touch the Dragon-slayer. For a moment he thought that Natsu might’ve slipped away in the time it took him to find him, but then olive eyes inched open to focus on him, and he struggled to find his voice again as he took in the pain filling the Dragon-slayer’s eyes. “You…you’re…”_

_“I’m fine,” Natsu pouted slightly as he realised that he didn’t sound convincing even to himself, grimacing as he reached up to rest a hand against his chest, his nose wrinkling slightly as he studied the crimson now staining his fingers and he let out a strained chuckle as he admitted. “Okay…maybe not…but I will be.”_

_“We need to get you out of here,” Gray said, the brief flicker of panic in the Fire mage’s face giving him the strength to take control. His eyes darting around as he tried to work out the best_ way _to move Natsu without hurting him further. “Wendy will be able to help, we just…” His hands were hovering over the Dragon-slayer, and he was so focused on the current problem that he never heard the movement behind him, or noticed the way that Natsu’s eyes had widened with horror…the first time he knew that something was wrong was when the Dragon-slayer had tackled him to the ground as a blast shot through the space where his head had been._

_“Get down!” Natsu voice was terse, and it was clear that the abrupt movement had hurt him, even more, and Gray wiggled beneath him, there was no way that the Dragon-slayer could fight in his current state and there was no way that he was going to let him._

_“Natsu!” He protested frantically when the Dragon-slayer held him down, still astoundingly strong despite his injuries and he stilled as he felt tendrils of dark magic seeping towards them, eyes widening with horror…he knew that magic…_

_“Damn you,” Natsu snarled above him, and finally the other mage’s weight shifted off him, and he immediately tried to rise only to be snapped at a second later. “Gray stay down!”_

_“No…”_

_“Please,” Natsu pleaded, and Gray found himself temporarily frozen at the wealth of emotion in that single word, and his hesitation was all the time that the Dragon-slayer needed to surge to his feet and fling himself towards the approaching form of Zeref with no sign of concern for his own well-being._

_“Natsu!!”_

_**_

_The battle between the Dragon-slayer and the Legendary Black mage was something that Gray knew he would never forget, the magic being used in front of his eyes was something that he had never seen before, and he couldn’t help but wonder when Natsu had become so strong. On some level, he had already known. After all the Fire mage had destroyed Acnologia when all of them united hadn’t been able to even hurt him back on Tenroujima, but it was a different matter witnessing it with his own eyes, and he found himself frozen in place. Terror flooding him every time the deadly dark magic flared out, and he was glad that the area was abandoned so no innocents would get caught up in this…and yet Natsu seemed unphased by what was happening._

_It was almost as though he hadn’t already fought a mammoth battle only minutes before. There was no sign of fatigue, and there was no indication that his considerable injuries were slowly him down and Gray could only marvel at the sight. He had thought that his own growth was impressive, after all, he’d become an S class mage, and he could hold his own against Erza for the most part nowadays… but he knew without a doubt that he would never have stood a chance against Zeref as he watched Natsu slamming into the other mage, angry flames filling the air above him and he knew without a hint of doubt that Natsu was going to win this fight._

_The fight raged on for another few minutes, and Gray was forced to dive for cover, the shockwaves caused by their clashes flinging debris in all directions and he couldn’t help but wonder if Magnolia was going to be able to survive this battle. His concern for the town was derailed when he heard Natsu shouting out in pain, immediately forgetting his own danger as he surged to his feet, ice crackling along his skin even though he doubted very much that he would be able to do anything if the Dragon-slayer was struggling._

_“Natsu!” He shouted, eyes widening with horror as he realised that Natsu had sunk to his knees his arm pressed to his side and the Ice mage felt dread wash over him as he caught sight of the fresh crimson now staining the Dragon-slayer’s vest._

_“Stay down!” Natsu head had snapped towards him at his shout, and he swallowed hard at the dangerous expression on the Dragon-slayer’s face. He had seen the hothead furious before, but this was something else, and he found himself slightly afraid of the Fire mage not that it stopped him taking a couple of steps forward…he didn’t want Natsu to fight on his own, not when he was already injured but he froze when the Dragon-slayer snarled warningly at him before staggering back to his feet. “I’m ending this now…” Natsu wasn’t looking at him as he spoke, his attention focused on Zeref who was slowly stalking towards him, and Gray swallowed hard, not liking the finality in his friend’s voice._

_Before he could say or do anything, Natsu had charged forwards, seemingly unhindered by his injuries and Gray found himself unable to move as flames erupted around the pair. Over the years he had built up quite a good tolerance to Natsu’s flames, but he found himself retreating from the heat the other mage was letting off, eyes wide as the fire funnelled around the battling pair until he could barely make out their silhouettes. It wasn’t a spell or even a planned attack he realised. This was Natsu at his most basic, running purely on emotion and the Ice mage was almost afraid to consider what emotions were capable or bringing forth this kind of flame._

_The heat had forced him to his knees, sweat dripping down his face as he struggled to keep his focus on the sight in front of him…but it was so damn hot…An agonised cry from within the flames startled him out of his frazzled state, fear jolting him back to his feet as he had no idea if it had been Natsu or not and he had barely regained his feet when the funnel of fire exploded outwards with a deafening roar. There was no avoiding the backlash, and he cried out as he was flung into a remnant of the warehouse’s wall, gritting his teeth as he felt the heat searing his skin, flinging his hands over his face to protect it as there was little else he could do but ride it out._

_Finally, the flames dissipated, and for a long moment he just lay there breathing hard as he tried to calm himself, but it didn’t take long for the silence and the lack of magical pressure in the air to break through his shock and slowly he sat up and glanced around. The already ruined building was now smouldering, and he knew that he was lucky to have survived at all, although a quick glance at his arms was enough to confirm that he hadn’t come out of it unscathed, his skin blistered in places and he wrinkled his nose as he caught the smell of singed hair. Natsu really had outdone himself…That thought made him look around in alarm…Where was the Dragon-slayer?_

_It didn’t take long to spot the familiar flash of pink hair, but there was no relief to be had from that fact as he realised that Natsu was sprawled unmoving on the ground a short distance away, and he felt dread pooling in his stomach at the sight. Just beyond the Dragon-slayer he could see another body and he glanced at it for a second before his attention shifted back to Natsu, beginning to tremble as he stumbled back to his feet, feeling oddly numb when there was no sign of reaction from the Dragon-slayer although he should’ve been able to hear the movement and then he was moving forwards on unsteady legs._

_“Natsu? Natsu?” Gray shouted desperately as he dashed towards the fallen figure of the Dragon-slayer, barely sparing Zeref’s body a passing glance even though he knew that should feel something at the sight of it. Instead, all he felt was terror when there was no response to his shouts, dropping to his knees beside Natsu and swallowing hard at the fresh damage now covering the Dragon-slayer’s body before he reached and gingerly grasped his shoulders, shaking Natsu as strongly as he dared as he called to him. “Can you hear me? Don’t you dare be dead…don’t you…” He could already feel his eyes welling up, and he sniffled in an attempt to stop them falling, knowing that once they started, they wouldn’t finish._

_Please Natsu…please…_

_“Gray…” It was not even a whisper, but Gray heard it anyway dark eyes widening as Natsu stirred weakly, olive eyes opening to slits as the Dragon-slayer twisted his head slightly so that he could peer up at the Ice mage._

_“You’re still here,” Gray breathed, feeling a couple of tears slip free as he was hit by a wave of relief even though he knew that Natsu was far from out of danger. Any one of those wounds would be enough to kill a lesser mage, but there was little that he could do until help arrived…he didn’t have healing magic, and there was no way he could move the Fire mage on his own without causing tremendous pain, and probably worsening his injuries._

_“Did…I win?” Natsu asked after a long moment of contemplation, his gaze hazy as it shifted between Gray and the faint glimpses of the sky that he could spy through the ruined remains of the warehouse ceiling._

_“Yeah,” Gray swallowed hard as he glanced at Zeref’s body, trying not to think about the large carcass of the Dragon lying nearby…Fairy Tail’s creed was never to kill, but he knew that there had not been another choice in this situation and that everyone in the guild…in Magnolia and possibly further beyond owed their lives to the Mage in front of him and there was awe in his voice as he whispered softly. “They’re both gone. You saved everyone.”_

_“You…re…not hurt?” Natsu’s hand rose to grasp weakly at Gray’s wrist, and the Ice mage struggled not to flinch as he realised how cool and clammy the usually warm hand had become, instead swallowing hard as he realised that there was nothing but concern in the gaze that was no focused on him and he had to bite back a sob...How? How could Natsu still be more worried about his wellbeing than his own? Especially when he…Gray couldn’t even bring himself to finish that thought, knowing that if he did he would fall apart completely._

_“Cuts and bruises,” he managed to force out to reassure the Dragon-slayer, although admitting it hurt more than he had expected as he stared at Natsu’s wounds with a guilty expression…he was barely hurt when Natsu was laid there…_

_“Good…” Natsu breathed with a small smile and Gray stared in disbelief at the other’s expression, unable to believe that the other could look so perfectly happy even in this situation. However, his disbelief turned to panic when the Dragon-slayer’s eyes flickered shut a moment later, his grip on Gray’s wrist weakening even further and only a quick movement by the Ice mage stopped it from falling away completely._

_“Natsu!” He cried in alarm, squeezing the cooling fingers in his hand as he tried to keep the Dragon-slayer grounded and he was rewarded a moment later as olive eyes blinked open once more, although he was disheartened to realise that Natsu couldn’t convince them to open fully._

_“Sorry…tired…”_

_“I know,” Gray soothed him as he heard the unneeded guilt in the other’s voice, but he knew that he couldn’t let Natsu close his eyes and rest. Knowing that if he did then everything would be over, as he doubted that even the ever stubborn Fire mage would have the strength to wake up again and there was an urgent note in his voice as he added softly. “But you’ve got to stay awake, help is on the way!” He had no idea if his words were true or not, he hadn’t seen the others on his way to find Natsu, but he had faith in their nakama, and there was no way the rest of them wouldn’t also be searching for the Dragon-slayer. The question was, would they arrive in time?_

_“’Kay,” Natsu mumbled softly in agreement, instinctively reacting to Gray’s desperation even though it was clear that he wasn’t fully aware of everything that was happening around him. Gray sat in silence for a couple of minutes, squeezing Natsu’s hand whenever the other’s eyes threatened to drift shut, a dull ache forming in his chest as he realised that occurrence was becoming more frequent. Gazing into dulled olive eyes, he swallowed hard as he was hit by the realisation that this might be the only chance he would get to say everything that he had been trying to say for the past couple of years, his eyes stinging with fresh tears as he forced himself to confront that thought, knowing that if he didn’t and the worst happened, that he would end up regretting it forever._

_“Natsu,” he began hesitantly, waiting patiently for Natsu’s gaze to shift to him before continuing softly. “I….” He hesitated for a moment, feeling the familiar knot of fear and shame threatening to silence him yet again and he took a deep breath before blurting. “I’m sorry…”_

_“For what…?” Natsu asked weakly, tilting his head with a wince so that he could look at Gray properly, his brow furrowing as took in the guilty expression the Ice mage was wearing, unable to work out what might have put it there._

_“For being a coward back then…” Gray whispered staring off into the distance, unable to bear the thought of the pain that was probably in Natsu’s eyes at the reminder of what had happened… knowing that he would lose his courage if he saw it. “When you went into s-season, and I found out I was your m-mate.” He wanted to curse as he stammered, realising that he sounded like a complete idiot._

_“It’s okay,” Natsu said softly, and Gray’s head shot up, and he met the Dragon-slayer’s forgiving gaze with an incredulous expression._

_“No!” He protested loudly, shaking his head desperately as he continued. “It’s not…I was scared…It was such a big thing, and we had been rivals for so long that I didn’t know how to change that…so I ran away. I hurt you and then I ran away.” It had taken him a long time to realise why he had rejected Natsu back then, and it had shamed him to realise that one of the primary reasons had been fear…he had hurt Natsu that badly because he was frightened…when he had realised the angry glares and words that he had received from the others had been more welcome than Natsu’s gentle forgiveness, even though he hadn’t had a clue what to do with this fresh knowledge._

_“I...”_

_“Don’t you dare say it’s okay,” Gray cut across him and from the way Natsu’s mouth snapped shut he knew that he had been spot on, and he closed his eyes in despair…he didn’t deserve that forgiveness, he never had ,and he couldn’t bear to hear it right now. “I…I’ve been trying to work up the courage to say this for ages. I like you…no…I love you and I wish with everything that I had said it before.” How long had it been since he’d finally unravelled his own emotions? Not that it had done him any good, as he’d had no idea how to even begin to approach Natsu about this. Shying away every time he had come close to it, and now here he was doing it when it was possible that he was about to lose the Dragon-slayer for good._

_A soft sob broke into his rapidly darkening thoughts, and his eyes went wide as he realised that Natsu was crying quietly, tears trickling down pale cheeks despite the warm smile he was sending at the Ice mage. Whatever reaction he had been expecting to his apology and confession this had not been it, and he shifted uneasily, unsure of how to react. He had been expecting anger or rejection, after all, Natsu had every right to do so, but of course, the stupid Flamebrain could never react how he was supposed to._

_“Natsu…?”_

_“Thank…you,” Natsu managed to whisper a few minutes later, reaching up with a shaky hand to brush futilely at the tears on his face and there was a peacefulness to his expression that Gray had seen for years, and the smile that he turned towards the Ice mage was filled with such contentment that Gray thought he might just start crying as well. “I can die…at peace…I protected…my mate.”_

_“You’re not going to die!” Gray shouted as he realised what Natsu was saying, his eyes burning even more fiercely as he added desperately. “You can’t!”_

_“Gray,” Natsu’s voice was soft, and there was pained understanding in his gaze, but what scared the Ice mage the most was the calm acceptance in warm olive eyes, and he could feel reality beginning to press in around him, and he shook his head desperately as he tried to stop it reaching him._

_“You can’t…” He whispered, choking on the words that he could feel swirling in his chest, and he couldn’t bring himself to look at Natsu again, unable bear the accepting expression on the Fire mage’s face. You can’t die…you can’t leave me now, not when I finally found the courage to tell you how I feel…not when we have a chance to move forwards together._

_“Look at me,” Natsu pleaded softly, and Gray hesitated, torn between not wanting to resist that tone and not wanting to hear what the Dragon-slayer was about to say. “I…” The Dragon-slayer trailed off as he began to cough violently, and Gray’s attention snapped to him at once, eyes widening in horror as Natsu curled in on himself with a low whimper as blood trickled from his mouth._

_“Natsu!” Gray cried frantically, reaching out to try and steady the Dragon-slayer, his heart breaking as Natsu whimpered again even as he leant into the touch. Finally, the fit subsided, leaving Natsu weak and trembling and Gray was shaking as he stripped off his shirt so that he could wipe the worst of the blood off of Natsu’s chin, shuddering as it soaked through to his skin._

_“I want you to…promise…me,” Natsu managed to force out once he’d manged to find his voice more although it was far weaker than before, his breathing growing increasingly laboured now and there was a desperation in his expression that hadn’t been there before the coughing fit._

_“What?” Gray forced himself to ask as he discarded the bloody shirt, reaching out once more to grasp Natsu’s hand although he had to fight not to drop it again as he realised how cold the Fire mage had become._

_“Live,” Natsu replied simply, but there was a fierceness in his gaze that belied that simplicity as he stared at Gray. “You…can’t follow…till it’s your…time. I…don’t want to see you until its time…”_

_“I… I can’t…” Gray was shaking now, tears trickling down his cheeks as he clutched the Dragon-slayer against himself…the concept of a world without the Fire mage pressing in on him and he could feel nausea rising at the mere thought of it. It wasn’t fair…_

_“Please,” Natsu pleaded with increasing desperation as he studied the Ice mage, fear spiking through as he caught the darker emotions swirling in Gray’s eyes and he shifted their hands until he was the one that was clinging to Gray. “Your…word?”_

_“But…”_

_“Plea…se,” Natsu begged brokenly, and now there were fresh tears on his cheeks as he stared pleadingly up at the Ice mage, stubbornly ignoring the shadows now blurring the edge of his vision. He couldn’t let them win until he had Gray’s word. He didn’t want Gray to follow him, even though he knew it would hurt the Ice mage to be left behind 0but he had been fighting for Gray’s future, and he didn’t want to see him throw that away._

_“I…” Gray hesitated, he didn’t want to make this promise. He never liked breaking his word, and he wasn’t sure he would able to break a promise to Natsu, and he knew that was exactly why the Dragon-slayer was begging for it. But he could see the desperation in the olive eyes, and he swallowed hard as he realised that he really had no right to deny the Fire mage anything after his cowardice, and although he felt his heart aching he forced the words out. “I promise.” He felt the weight of the words settling over his shoulders, and he bowed his head…he was chained now…_

_“Thank you….” Natsu whispered, his expression melting into one of relief now that he had Gray’s word and there was a brightness in his eyes as he curled his fingers weakly around the Ice mage’s finger, his lips curving up slightly as he added softly. “I love…”_

_“Natsu?” Gray frowned as the Dragon-slayer trailed off midway, lifting his head and stilling as he realised that Natsu’s eyes had closed once more and slowly his gaze trailed down, his eyes widening as he realised that the Dragon-slayer’s chest was no longer rising and falling. For a moment all he could do was sit there in stunned disbelief, barely feeling it as Natsu’s hand fell limply away from his…no, this wasn’t happening…it couldn’t be happening. “Natsu! Natsu! Natsu…” Suddenly the numbness disappeared, and he was shouting…screaming the Dragon-slayer’s name as he reached out and pulled Natsu into his lap, wrapping his arms around the other's body as he shook him, desperately searching for any kind of response, refusing to admit the truth._

**

_By the time the others had found him, the truth of the situation had finally managed to penetrate, and he was sat in a broken heap, Natsu’s body cradled tenderly against his chest and his face buried in battle-stained pink locks. He had been completely silent, his voice completely wrecked by his desperate shouts and tears falling in a silent stream down his cheeks. He hadn’t acknowledged their arrival or shocked reactions, only coming to life when Laxus and Gajeel had quietly tried to take Natsu’s body from him and then he had erupted, his magic lashing out with wild fury as he clung desperately to the Dragon-slayer’s body. It had taken long for the outburst to exhaust what little strength he’d had left, and he’d finally slumped against Natsu, closing his eyes in defeat as the other’s closed in on him even as he finally whispered the words that he had been so desperate to fight against._

_“He’s gone…”_

**

   There were tears on his cheeks now as he came back to the present, time might have softened the pain of the loss, but nothing could ever ease the pain of that memory. For months after Natsu’s death, he had woken screaming, finding the room around him covered in ice as his magic reacted to his emotions. Sniffing slightly, he wiped at his eyes, a faint tremor going through him as he was assailed with the memory of Natsu’s blood covering his skin and he found himself checking his hands to make sure that there was no crimson there, letting out a shuddering breath when there was no sign of blood before he turned his attention back to the carving of Natsu.

“I promised that I wouldn’t come until it was my time,” He repeated softly, recalling all the times over the year that he had wished that it was his time…although those moments had grown less in recent years and he couldn’t help but wonder if Natsu had known that it would get easier with time, and he softly before continuing. “But…I can’t keep that promise. I’m dying,” it sounded so simple when he stated like that and he couldn’t supress the slightly bitter chuckle that escaped him as he recalled the day the doctor had told him, the man had been so apologetic, clearly expecting Gray to fall apart at the news but all the Ice mage had felt was the same calm acceptance that he had seen in Natsu’s eyes back then. “The doctor wasn’t sure how long I had…but it’s been getting worse lately,” he admitted quietly.

    The attacks like the one he had, had that morning had previously only happened a couple of times a week if that. But nowadays they were happening several times a day, and sometimes more, and he hated the growing weakness that was spreading through his body with each attack. At this stage even if he went to Wendy, all she would be able to do was help ease the symptoms, and he didn’t want to burden her with another death that she couldn’t prevent. Sooner or later he was going to lose the ability to take care of himself altogether, and he refused to even contemplate becoming a burden on his nakama even though he knew that they wouldn’t view it like that.

   However, he had known the moment the doctor gave him the news what he wanted to do…how he wanted all of this to end, and he had just been waiting for this day. Hoping selfishly that if he went on today of all days, that maybe just maybe he would be able to find Natsu on the other side…there was still so much left unsaid between them, and he wanted more than anything to get the chance to finish saying them.

“I’m sure you’re going to be mad at me,” he said softly as he climbed stiffly to his feet, reaching out to brush his fingers against the carving once more. “But I’m not going to just sit and wait for my body to fail on me, and I hope you can understand that.” He wasn’t sure if it was wishful thinking on his part or not, but he couldn’t help but feel that the Dragon-slayer would understand better than anyone how he felt at that moment and it was that, which gave him the strength to move back half a dozen steps. “I don’t regret it you know? The life that I’ve lived since that time…and I am glad that you made me make that promise.” On that day and for several years after he had loathed the promise keeping from Natsu, and some of that hate had even been transferred onto the Dragon-slayer for asking such a thing of him in the first place…but as with his grief, the hatred had faded with time as he’d come to realise that there were other things for him to live for.

   Sighing he turned to glance towards the distant guild hall once more, he knew that his friends… his family would mourn his death and that they were probably going to be angry at him, but they had everything to live for, and he knew that with time they would forgive him. Taking a deep breath, he turned back to face Natsu’s grave, a peaceful feeling settling over him as he stared at it for a moment before slowly crossing his arms in front of his chest as he felt his magic rising in response. It was a spell that he had promised to never use again, but it was the only one that he had that would do what he wanted, and his voice was clear and steady as he gave form to the gathered magic.

“Iced Shell.”

****

    They had decided to wait until the sun was beginning to set before heading to the Cathedral, knowing at least on some level what they were going to find. The celebration which usually passed quickly had seemed to drag, and the entire guild had picked up on the fact that something else was happening although those that knew had been remarkably closed lip. It wasn’t that they thought the rest of the guild wouldn’t understand, or that they wouldn’t mourn for the Ice mage, but because they knew that not everyone would accept their decision to step aside, to let Gray do what he had planned and so they stayed silent.

   It had taken a lot more convincing to stop everyone following them to visit Natsu’s grave, especially as it was a tradition for the whole guild to visit. This time though everything was different, and after quiet discussion, they had decided it was best for their old team to be the ones to go, with Juvia and Lyon in tow as they were the closest thing to family that Gray had. In the end it had taken a direct order and a deadly bolt of lightning from Laxus to stop everyone from following when they’d finally left the guild, the children, in particular, had been reluctant to remain behind, especially when Lyra was allowed to leave with the small group. She had adamantly refused to stay behind and as she already knew what was happening Lucy and Laxus had been unable to deny her.

    Finally, though they had managed to make their escape, although they doubted it would take too long for the bolder mages to decide to follow them. Still, the group took their time as they headed silently towards the cathedral, the town was quiet at this time, the traders having closed for the evening but what drew their attention was the single flickering candle visible in most windows. It was a tradition that had started the year after Natsu’s sacrifice, originally starting as a symbol of gratitude and grief from those that had been protected by the Dragon-slayer or had seen his battle with Acnologia up close. Gradually though it had spread until nearly every house and business in the town would light one, even though many of the original participants had passed on.

“I can’t believe they still do this,” Laxus said softly breaking the silence, a hint of awe in his voice as he glanced from window to window and Lucy smiled slightly as she followed his gaze. She knew that Natsu would have loved the sight of so many flames, and she had to smother a small laugh at the thought of her idiotic best friend going from window to window devouring the flames…a quick glance at Wendy and Erza showed that they were also smiling, and she knew that they were thinking the same thing. “It’s been so long…”

“People have a long memory,” Jellal spoke up softly from beside Erza, his face solemn as he lifted his hand and let a small golden flame form in the palm of his hand. “And it’s not the kind of thing that can be forgotten…” The flame flickered violently, growing larger for a moment before Erza reached out to grasp his wrist, her expression soft as she squeezed slightly and with a sigh he let the flame dissipate.

“Still…”

“I hope they never forget,” Wendy said softly as she stared sadly at the candles. She had never truly been comfortable with the day of celebration even though she knew that Natsu would have heartily approved, but this simple gesture warmed her, and the thought of there one day being no more lights to tell Natsu that they still remembered made her want to cry.

“I won’t let them forget…” Lyra spoke up quiet and fierce in her determination, and as she stared into the stubborn brown eyes so like Lucy’s the Dragon-slayer felt a true smile creeping onto her face. If there was anyone who could keep that promise she had a feeling that it would be the girl in front of her.

“Thank you.”

**

   When they reached the cathedral, they found themselves hesitating at the gate, it was one thing to know what was awaiting them, but another thing altogether too actually contemplate seeing it with their own eyes. Juvia had already begun to weep again clinging to her husband who was looking remarkably composed considering what they were facing, but the chill emanating from him indicated that he wasn’t quite as in control as he was pretending to be. Erza was pressed so close to Jellal’s side that it would have been impossible to slide a piece of paper between the pair.

“Lyra…are you sure about this?” Lucy asked softly, her eyes sad as she glanced down at her granddaughter who was clinging tightly to Laxus’s arm, tears already trickling down her cheek. It was too late to spare her the knowledge of what had happened, but they weren’t entirely sure what was waiting for them at Natsu’s grave, and she was worried about the effect it would have on the girl.

“I’m sure,” Lyra replied without hesitation, and Lucy sighed but nodded in understanding, glancing up to meet Laxus’s worried gaze, forcing a smile onto her lips to reassure him that she okay. Privately though she wasn’t sure…it had nearly broken her that day when they had found Gray clinging to the still body of her best-friend, and whilst they had lost other nakama since that day, she wasn’t sure that she was ready for this latest loss.

“Come on,” Erza finally spoke, stepping away from Jellal’s side although she still clung to his hand for support. “We shouldn’t keep t-them waiting,” she wasn’t quite able to keep the waver out of her voice, but she stood tall and proud for a moment, before quietly pulling her husband after her as she led the way through the gate and the others found themselves automatically following her even after all these years.

   No one spoke as they moved through the cemetery, pausing briefly in front of the row that housed their other friends and family, unconsciously echoing Gray’s earlier actions. Lyra and Lucy hugging the Lighting Dragon-slayer as he bowed his head in front of his grandfather’s grave for a moment, a solitary tear escaping before he turned away, this time taking the lead as they headed towards Natsu’s grave the air around them heavy with grief and anticipation. However, they all came up short as they finally turned into the small square of grass where Natsu’s grave sat in isolation exchanging confused looks as they realised that they hadn’t truly understood what Gray had been planning…

    There was no body as they had imagined in their morbid imaginings during the day. Instead, the only sign that Gray had been there was a fine layer of ice now covering every inch of the memorial, currently dyed in oranges and reds by the sun slowly disappearing below the horizon. For several minutes they stood gathered in silence just staring at the ice, trying to ignore the tiny flame of hope that was creeping into their hearts. _Perhaps Gray had changed his mind Perhaps he had just wanted to miss the celebration,_ and yet they knew instinctively that, that wasn’t the case.

“Ice…” Lyon was the first to break the silence, closing his eyes for a moment before he slowly stepped forward, stretching out a hand to run shaking fingers over the fine layer of ice now covering the grave. “Gray…” He whispered and in an instance his composure cracked, tears trickling down pale cheeks even as he closed his eyes leaning silently in Juvia as she moved to stand beside him, her own expression one of grief as she found herself suddenly dry-eyed.

“Iced Shell…” Erza breathed softly in understanding, comprehension spreading through the group when Lyon gave a tiny nod of agreement. “He…he promised Natsu that he would never use that spell again…” _He promised us_ , she added silently remembering how horrified she and Lucy had been to learn that he had nearly used such a spell and they had extracted their own promises from the Ice mage after returning from Galuna Island. _Why? Why would you choose to leave us like this?_

“He’s with Natsu,” Wendy said softly even as she bowed her head so that the others couldn’t see her tears, although the shaking in her shoulders betrayed her anyway. _Natsu-san, he’s finally coming to you…_ She had never forgotten Natsu’s pain when the Ice mage had rejected him, and as much as she wanted Gray to be at peace and to find his own happiness at last, she couldn’t help but pray that her fellow Dragon-slayer finally got to have what had been denied him in life.

“What do you mean?” Erza asked as she glanced at the younger woman, sensing that she meant something more than the fact that Gray was gone. Her heart ached at that realisation, and tears trickled down her cheeks as she finally acknowledged that was what all of this meant even if it was different from what they had imagined. _Gray was gone, and he wasn’t coming back._ They had lost so many people over the years, but somehow she had never imagined life without her closest childhood friend, even during the dark days after Natsu’s death when she had spent nearly every moment fearing that he might do something stupid _. I should never have stopped watching him…_

“Iced Shell,” Lyon’s voice was choked but steady although he didn’t turn to look at them, his gaze never leaving the ice-covered grave as he explained softly. “It turns the Casters own body into ice…this ice is…”

“Gray-sama.” Juvia finished tearfully when it became clear that he couldn’t, letting out a small wail as she wrapped her arms around him. Whilst she was long over her crush on Gray, she still loved him dearly, and she hated the pain he had endured for so long. But the thought that he was gone was breaking her heart, and she ached for Lyon as he began to weep in earnest, even as he reached up to grasp her hands where they lay over his heart.

“He made sure he would always be with Natsu,” Lucy whispered unsteadily as she recalled what she knew of the spell…it could only be melted with Moondrip, and it was unlikely anyone would ever perform that spell here…and she knew that Laxus would ensure that it became a Guild rule just to make sure. The romantic in her could appreciate the love and dedication it had taken to do this, but that did little to alleviate the ache in her chest and with a sob she whirled sweeping Lyra into her arms as she realised the girl was crying silently, and she was unsurprised when Laxus’s arms went around them both seconds later, and she didn’t comment as she felt tears landing on her head, knowing that he was feeling this loss as deeply as she was.

“Together,” Erza whispered as she gave into her own grief, willingly allowing Jellal to pull her into his chest as she wept. Gray had never fully shared what Natsu had said to him in those last moments, but she knew that something had changed between them…there had always been something more than grief and regret in his expression after that, and she hoped that perhaps now they would be given a chance to finish whatever had happened that day.

_Please let them find happiness now…_

**

   Lyra had finally escaped her grandmother’s hold, moving back slightly wanting to give the adults time to say farewell to her friend, tears still trickling down her cheeks as she tried to comprehend the fact that she would never see her uncle again…even though she could come here whenever she wanted and actually reach out and touch the ice and feel his presence. It was a cruel spell she thought bitterly as she glared at the ice for a moment, suddenly wishing that she could yell at the Ice mage for choosing to do it in this way, and she could feel the angry words bubbling up her chest and she was terrified that they might slip out if she wasn’t careful.

   She was turning around, thinking that maybe she should just head back before she made things worse when she froze, her eyes widening in shock. For a long moment she stood there, frightened to move in case it proved that what she had seen was nothing more than a figment of her imagination, but finally, she gathered her courage and slowly tilted her head. There amongst the graves surrounding them she caught a glimpse of a young pink-haired man that she only knew from pictures, and there behind him, looking young and happy was the Ice mage and for a moment he glanced in her direction, his lips curved in a smile, and she felt her breath catch in her throat at the sight. He had never smiled like that before. They stared at one another for a long moment, and finally, she smiled and nodded, and in the blink of an eye, they were gone, leaving her unsure as to whether she had actually seen anything.

   However, something told her that even if it had been her imagination, the two of them were finally together again and with that thought in mind she reached up and wiped away her tears.

_Be happy Uncle Gray…Uncle Natsu._

****

_Gray blinked in confusion when he became aware of light coming through his eyelids, even more confused by the fact that he was able to blink. Hadn’t he just died? He could vaguely recall the sensation of the world disappearing around him as the ice had crept over him, and he was fairly sure that had died. And yet his eyes were opening? Although the light and his own disorientation were making it impossible to make out exactly where he was or what was going on, and he nearly screamed when a warm hand grasped his arm. A too-warm hand…it couldn’t be?_

_“Gray?” He stiffened as the voice that he had never been able to forget reached his ears, the warm hand on his arm taking on new meaning and he found himself trembling even as he reached out blindly with his free arm, jerking as his fingers came into contact with a warm body just as the blinding light was blocked by movement in front of him. “Gray? Are you alright?” He was torn between wanting to weep and scream at the concern he could hear in the voice…why? Why are you still so concerned about me?_

_Instead of doing either he focused on blinking hard, relieved when his vision began to clear, although he felt his stomach rolling nervously as he realised that meant he was going to have to face up to the owner of the concerned voice and warm hand. He felt incredibly shy as he slowly lifted his eyes, his vision still slightly blurred around the edges and his breath stuttered as he found himself gazing into warm olive eyes._

_“Natsu…”_

_“The one and only,” the Dragon-slayer replied with a grin, eyes alight with a mix of amusement and love and Gray swallowed hard at the sight. Even after all this time, he feels the same? His thoughts were beginning to whirl once more, but they skidded to a halt as Natsu’s quiet voice washed over him and he blinked as the question registered. “I hope?”_

_“Always…” He breathed at once, eyes wide, and he had reached out to grab the front of Natsu’s vest before he had even realised what he was doing, only to freeze as he realised that his hands were smooth with no sign of age. Cautiously he shifted from side to side, realising that there was no pain from the movement and that his breathing was deep and steady in a way that it hadn’t been for months. “What?”_

_“You died,” there was understanding and sadness in Natsu’s expression, and Gray swallowed hard, searching the olive eyes for any sign of disappointment. After all, he had promised to wait for his time to come, and he had pre-empted that event a little. Not that he could find it in himself to regret it at the moment, not with Natsu stood right in front of him. “I’m sorry…”_

_“It’s alright,” Natsu cut across his apology, his smile still sad as he added softly. “I know why you did it…I know you were hurting.” Gray winced, one hand rising to rest over his chest, the feeling of being able to breathe…or whatever it was that he was doing at the moment…freely a novelty after the past few months and he wondered when it would wear off. However, he blinked as he realised what the last bit had been and his eyes widened in alarm as he demanded._

_“You could see?”_

_“Some things,” Natsu shrugged as though it didn’t matter, but Gray could see pain lurking in his eyes, and he wanted to reach and wrap the Dragon-slayer in a hug, but he still felt too uncertain. What if Natsu didn’t feel quite the same as he had back then? What if…? His panicked thoughts broke off as Natsu continued quietly. “Mostly on this day, although I got other glances here and there.”_

_“Oh,” Gray muttered, shivering slightly as he imagined what it must have been like to only be able to watch what was happening and to not have any control over what he was seeing. He wasn’t sure that he would be able to cope with it…although he might not have a choice now, he realised as he glanced around, not that there was really anything to see beyond Natsu. It was as though he had landed in a brilliantly illuminated, featureless room and he felt himself shrinking closer to Natsu. Feeling warm arms wrapping around him he glanced up once more, blinking as he discerned the loneliness in the olive eyes and he melted into the hug as he murmured softly._

_“I’m sorry that I broke my promise…but I’m also sorry that I made you wait so long.”_

_“I told you not to follow me until it was your time,” Natsu chided softly, and the Ice mage let the other’s voice flow around him, dredging up happier memories as he felt some of his fears easing beneath the warm words. “It would be a bit unfair of me to get mad at you for actually listening to me for once,” there was laughter in the Dragon-slayer’s voice now, and Gray couldn’t stop the smile that slipped free as he saw the amusement dancing in the olive eyes that never wavered from him._

_“I missed you,” he said softly reaching up to brush icy fingers against Natsu’s cheek, and the amusement faded to be replaced by a look of warmth and some other undefinable emotion, and he jolted when a warm hand snaked up to rest on top of his._

_“I know,” Natsu whispered finally releasing his arm, his hand coming up and gently tracing the contours of Gray’s face and there was a sad smile on his lips as he added quietly. “I was scared that you were going to do something foolish after…”_

_“I wanted to,” Gray admitted glancing down in shame, not wanting to see the disappointment he was sure that he would find in the other’s gaze. “Especially that first year, I spent nearly every day wishing that I could just end it and come after you. But it was your words. Your request for me to live on and not follow until it was my time that stayed my hand. How could I break my promise to you after everything I had done? After everything you had done to save us all?!”_

_“That wasn’t why I wanted you to live…” Natsu broke into the Ice mage’s rambling and the raw emotion in his voice made Gray forget his shame and look up with wide eyes, and he was stunned to see tears shining in the other’s eyes. “I wanted you to live because I…Love you.”_

_“Natsu…”_

_“I never got to finish telling you,” Natsu’s voice was softer now, a distant look in his olive eyes and Gray swallowed hard as he realised the Dragon-slayer was thinking back to the day that he’d died….his eyes lowering as he realised how Natsu’s words had cut off mid-sentence that day, and his heart ached as he realised that the Dragon-slayer had been waiting all this time just to be able to finish that sentence. “I love you.”_

_“And I love you,” Gray replied strongly, and this time there was no hesitation whatsoever in his voice, and he raised his eyes to meet Natsu’s wide eyes and he smiled softly. Why had he feared this so much back then? Regret came with that thought but he pushed it aside, if he let it in now then nothing would change, and he didn’t want that. Summoning his courage he stepped forward closing the last of the distance between them, and he had a brief glimpse of the startled, hopeful expression on the Dragon-slayer’s face before their lips met. It was soft and gentle and held a world of promise for the time that they would now have together, that they had been denied by fear and fate._


End file.
